Xx Previously Xx
"And then?"
Lin stiffens as she looks at her Ex,
"I'm not sure... Things got a little hazy after that..." She sighed rubbing her forehead.
Her ears twitches as Korra peeked her head through the doorway.
"Hey" Korra said softly, in her hands she held a bowl of red water and a cloth.
"How is she?" Tenzin asked standing up from his seat as she enters the room.
XxxxxX
"I've healed up all her bruises and cuts. Tenzin, you said her hand got crushed but...her hand is fine. Just covered in blood, the same goes for her other arm and claw marks. I just wiped the blood off and... Nothing?" Korra looked at him confused as she plonked the bowl down on the table.
"It was. I heard the... Bones break." Tenzin flinched at the memory, the sickening sound of her bones breaking sent shivers down his spine.
"I haven't got that far yet." Lin snapped.
"Well... Yira still unconscious and there isn't anything I can do for her now. I will need help changing her into some fresh clean clothes."
A female Lotus member volunteered to help her as most of the Air Acolytes had gone bed already. Leaving Lin to continue her story. At least they could relax more knowing that Yira will make a full recovery.
XxxxxX
Coming too was difficult for Lin, her head was ringing but otherwise seemed alright.
Her eyes dart around her as she was surrounded in nothing but fog. Getting to her knees she looked around for any sort of life but... Nothing...
... nothing but whispers...
She shudders to herself as they sounded... Familiar...
"Hello." She calls out, but it echoes across the misty plane she was in.
Lin scowled as she could only see a few feet in front of herself. Looking up from where she fell from didn't reveal much, only very faint rocks the looked to curl inwards in the cavern she was in. It was hard to see as the mist intensified around her.
X
"The pit of lost souls. It sounds like the it, from what I've read from ancient texts. It's a spirit prison for humans." Tenzin clarified, his hand brushing his beard in thought.
"It's a prison without a lock, the fog is the spirit that infects the mind and slowly drive you mad. Imprisoning you in your own darkest memories." He said grimly.
Lin purse her lips, that sounded right. It would explain the things she saw...
"Lin? How did you escape such a place?" Tenzin said leaning forward, he was worried for her, the things the fog could have done to her mind and had been strong for so long and to have the fog pull it all up again.
"I'm fine." She snapped a bit too quickly, but took a deep breath.
"...that is where things got hazy. The next thing I know I'm waking up..."
Xx
Lin jerked awake, her head looking around her rapidly. Her eyes catching a lone figure a few feet away from her.
Lin relaxes as she recognised the fern colour jacket and light green trousers.
Yira seemed to be asleep, her head hunched over and leaning heavily into the...root beside her. Lin noted that Yira's broken hand had been bandaged with some wispy mesh cloth. It might have been cut up as a strip was stretched to make a sling.
By her feet lay two long sticks. One had throwing knives stuck at the end and the other was just a pointy stick.
Just where did she get the knifes from?
Her neck ached from... Lying oddly on a big tree root behind her. Her bones popped in their joints suggesting she had been here a while.
Rubbing her neck, she looked around on where she was now.
In the distance behind her, she could see a stone structure. It took her a second to realise she had been at the centre of that thing. The curling in stone pieces we're a giveaway.
Her eyes drift back to the sleeping teen. She pondered for a minute whether or not to wake up the kid but the looming shadowy dark trees around them and her desire for answers she made up her mind.
Getting to her feet she approached Yira, she jumped as a hand clamped over her wrist. Startled, she stared into the murky green eyes.
"A word of warning. Don't wake me up unless to have an escape route." Yira growled, letting go of Beifongs wrist.
Lin scowled as Yira got to her feet, her freehand picking up the sticks.
"Here. The one with knives is for you." She grumbled, offering it out.
"Where did you get them?" Lin said taking it off her. But not before tightening the string like vine that kept them in place. Having one hand to do this must have been a bitch to do.
"I may have had them in the soles of my shoes." Yira shrugged nonchalantly.
Lin raised her eyebrow at her. Her mind drifting to when she was held at the police station. Did she have them then? If so, that would have been mildly more unsettling. Filing this information away for another time, clearly, they need to add more spot checks to suspects.
"How long have we been... Here and asleep?" She asked changing the subject. Her ability to tell time was completely off after being in that...Thing.
"Roughly, I'd say about eighteen hours. We spent about three on arrival walking about and you were stuck in there for about eight of them and we have been here since then."
Lin thought back, it was roughly late ten o'clock when fire started and spent three hours wandering around. So that would have been 1 am in the real world plus eight in the foggy place so it would have been 7 am so that would leave them seven hours asleep. Meaning it was roughly about 2 pm give or take.
"Right!" She grows to herself, her eyes watching Yira who was looking at a couple of spirits tiredly. She couldn't help but notice how weighed down she looked. Troubled would be the more fitting word.
"Kid. What's the plan of getting out of here?"
"Huh...oh, right. Yes." Yira said breaking out of thought.
"Well, I was talking with a couple of spirits while you were...you know. There. And they hinted a passageway out. Its... Roughly half a day's journey. But It will take us back to the real world, however, I didn't know where we will end up. Somewhere with high spiritual energy no doubt."
Lin pondered over their options. Seeing no other alternatives and no guarantee that Akari would show up she agreed with the plan.
XxxX
"That's not possible!" Tenzin said stiffly as Lin shot him a look.
"I... mean. Humans can only come and go to the spirit world by meditating. There should be no other entries apart from the sealed-up portals."
"Well there is!" Lin snapped, getting annoyed from the interruptions.
"Sorry. Please, Go on."
XxxX
As they walked in silence, Lin relaxed slightly. She wasn't going to say it, but she was pleased to have some form of weapon. Her grip on the stick was strong while Yira was using her as a walking stick. Her breath slightly ragged as she breathed through the pain from her hand.
"Where'd you get the sling?" She asked curiously. Noticing how odd it looked.
"I took it off a guy from the pit." Yira answered shortly. Unknown to her, it was in fact Yira's ANBU shirt, which she hadn't removed earlier. And now she was grateful for it.
Lin nodded at the answer. Some of others she had run into were dressed in all sorts of clothes from different time periods.
After a couple of hours of walking, they took a break, narrowly avoiding running into a heard of the cranky spirits but a simple diversion got them through.
Yira instantly went to the river, her hand cupping water to drink. Lin followed suit. It helped with the hunger pains. For the last few hours, she had been hearing their stomach growing but Yira hadn't complained. Lin could only assume that most plants here we're not fit for human consumption.
Her eyes lit up for a second, she had forgotten them. Her hand goes to one of her many pouches on her belt and withdrew a couple of protein bars.
"Here."
Yira looked at her surprises.
"Thanks" she mutters taking an offered bar.
"Don't mention it kid." She said digging into her own bar.
It tasted like cardboard and wasn't very tasty, but it would do. Lin only had them for emergency and as chief of police she didn't always have time to have a proper meal.
Stuffing the wrappers in their pockets they continued onwards. After all they didn't want to get chased out for litter dumping.
XxxX
"Ah shit!" Yira grumbled as her foot slipped in something.
Lin rolled her eyes as she caught the teens elbow to steady her.
"Oi! Watch where you're going?!" An angry voice shouted from the mud she had slipped in.
"I'm sorry spirit-" Yira began as the mud came to life. In all honesty, it kinda looked like bigger version of Clayface just much creeper.
"I hate visitors!" It growled, raising it large fist at them.
"RUN!" Yira yelled with Beifong close behind her. Just because Yira could still bend, doesn't mean she would want to involve herself in any unnecessary fights.
Her eyes widen as she spots a river flowing in the distance. And changed her course. Lin didn't need to look to know the spirit was pursuing them. She could hear him. Loudly. Its feet made loud noises and vibrations.
"Jump in!" Yira cried out, her speed building up.
"What?!" She hollered, looking at it as it drew closer.
"A. Short cut and B. It will stop following. Water would make it fall apart." Yira yelled back.
Lin bristled. The idea of having a dip with all the metal she was wearing was not a good idea. But then again, neither did the option of being trampled by a mud spirit.
She braced herself to the cold rush of water, as she jumped. Instantly she was heaved down by the power of the river. It was deeper than it looked. She struggled to maintain afloat as she was pushed down the river. Her eyes searching the mob of brown hair and green jacket as she was pulled under.
Her limbs flailing as the depth of the water changed, her lungs burned as she tried to pull at her armour. But they wouldn't budge.
Out of nowhere an arm clasp her waist and she could feel herself going up.
She gasped for air as she broke the surface.
"Stop squirming. It hurts." She heard Yira's pained voice in her ear. Getting her bearing she looked down it see it was Yira broken wrist around her waist, her other she was using to keep them up.
Lin would have apologised but she was still at risk of sinking if Yira decided to let her go.
X
Eventually, they were able to make it to the shore. Apparently, the river took them to a large lake but fortunately, the spirit had given up on following them.
"Well...That could have gone better." Yira wheeze as she stayed lying in the muddy lakeside.
"On the bright side, we still have out sticks." She said brightly pointing next to her.
"... what." Was all she could muster as she sat up. Letting the water drain from her suit. Her eyes landing on the familiar sticks next to them.
"Sticks float." Yira grumbled, her unhurt hand reaching for one of the sticks.
Lin scowled as she grabbed the other one. It had lost a knife or two, but it would work for now. She put a lot of weight onto it as she got to her feet.
She jumped as she felt the rush of air as Yira blew the water from her clothes.
"Kid!" She snapped.
"What? I guessed you won't like to walk with soaking clothes. Ahh...fuck." Yira winced as she jostled her wrist by retying her sling.
"Just. Ask. Ok."
"Yes ma'am," Yira said with a salute, clearly trying to distract herself from the pain.
"Let's just go. Which direction now?" Lin sighed.
Xx
Yira shifted uncomfortably as the tree of time began to get into focus. She had been planning for the last couple of hours on how to get her and Beifong from her base and out from it. It was buried in the ocean. With no doors out. And she did not fancy telling the chief of police her ability to bend darkness and shadows. It's just asking for trouble.
She had one. But it would have to be done very carefully, but it might just work.
The stone crutched beneath their feet as they weaved thought the rock formations. Two blobs of purple energy enclosed the portals.
"Over there. The edge of the circled stone. But just before the river." Yira whispers hoarsely pointing over to the other end. Quite a distance from the behind of tree of time.
Lin sagged in relief. Finally. A way out. Her feet ached from the very long trek.
Her pace picked up as they headed in the direction.
Finally, they got there. Yira grimaced at the memories of when she was last here. Lin's eyes trace the cracked hole in the centre of a large boulder, the more she started at it the more... Compelling it was to reach out to it, to get lost in the void of darkness.
"Beifong! BEIFONG!" Yira's hand grab her arm roughly, breaking her out of it.
"What..." Lin growled, trying to recover from whatever that was.
"You froze up like a cat-deer. Come on, let's go. Give me your hand."
Lin reluctantly gave out her hand as Yira took a step into the dark hole. She yelled out as she was dragged harshly into it.
Xx
Lin awoke for the third time, but this time she felt different. Weighted down but a good weighed down feeling. Connected. She could feel the earth all around her again. Like it never left her in the first place.
"Yira?" She coughed, sitting up from the floor. A wave of dizziness washed over her, making her surrounding spin.
Hazily she looked around on where she was. A tree with no leaves lay on her right inside a big pond or small lake. The cavern above them was huge, a crack showed bellowing light straight onto the tree and lighting up the cave around her.
"Yira?!" She said hurrying to her now as she noticed the absence of the Airbender. Her eyes rooting out any sign of a person that may linger in the shadows. Seeing an opened doorway, she ran for it.
Going down to what seemed to be a passageway that was lit with oil lamps that hung from the ceiling above her.
Lin metal slapped herself as she stops running around like a madwoman. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she raised her foot high and slammed it down into the floor.
Her foot tingled as her energy sent out waved, the earth responded back a feeling of a single heartbeat inside a room not too far away. She could feel these places passageways and it's many empty rooms.
Knowing where the teen was, she made a beeline for her.
"Kid?" She said barrelling into the room.
"Hey?" Yira said weakly, Lin stiffened as she looked around. This room seemed to be a pro-benders ring. It looked old and rusty in places. Earth disked lined a wall and the trickle of water told her that water was flowing around.
"I've been trying to figure this place out. We're underground but where I can't say. I've counted roughly ten rooms. But with nothing of interest, except with one with a huge deep pit. I tossed a lamp down earlier to see and I saw a passage. That might be a way out." Yira seemed hopeful but Lin wasn't convinced.
Lin rushed forward as Yira staggered as she turned to leave. Her hand was still broken. Lin winced as she felt a static shock up her arm as she grabbed the girl.
"Kid, how's the arm?"
"It hurts." Yira groaned leaning out of Beifongs grasp, changing her weight to the spear she was still holding. Lin raised her eyebrows, bemused that it had survived the journey back.
"Just...just hang in there." Her thoughts drifting to the mentioned pit. Could it really be exit? If it were located there, it would mean it was designed for earth benders.
"Let's have a look." Lin clarified, indicating for Yira to lead her to it.
Xx
"There does seem to a doorway but it's just out my seismic- sense range."
That surprised her. Normally she could have but it was got hazy the further down to the bottom.
"Let's go," Yira said taking a step forward but Lin grabbed her good elbow.
"Absolutely not. Not until I've checked it out."
Yira looked to protest but line glare cut her off.
"Fine," the girl grumbled. Lin pulled out her cables and descended into the darkness. Unknowns to her Yira smirked as the Genjutsu had taken effect.
"Kid! I told you to stay put!" Lin growled as she saw Yira follow her.
"Oh, I didn't listen." Yira said casually, Lin glowered at her.
"You do that a lot."
"Only when I believe it is unnecessary." Yira shrugged as they walked through the dark passageway. It was slightly illuminated by little fractured green gems.
Lin, either didn't see or notice when Yira hand brushed over her arm, with Genjutsu layering on, Yira teleported them to the only place she could think of that would match up.
The cave in where she took her gemstones. The old mine.
Lin stood stationary her eyes glazed in the illusion of walking down a darkened cave.
She morphed the illusion slightly to match up to this place.
Lin began to walk as the Genjutsu began to unwind.
"Looks like this was some mine. A hidden entrance perhaps." Yira pipped up, catching up to the older woman.
Lin looked at the wooden beams holding up the place. She shook her head and they both continued to walk in silence.
Eventually, they got to a dead-end, but Lin put her hand to the wall. Pulling her first back she then proceeds to bend a hole, Yira breathed in the scent of fresh air of a dark evening.
Lin looked to be relieved to finally be back. Back home in the real world. And not in some dimly lit cave.
XXXX
"How did you get to the Fire Nation?" One of the White Louts members spoke up curiously. Tenzin nodded to the question.
Lin lent back in her seat, taking a small sip of her tea. She massages her temple as a developing headache began.
She scowles as she realised the woman who had asked then question was also writing down what she was saying. Mentally groaning that they would want a copy of her report to add to their studies of spirits.
"We spent roughly half an hour walking in the forest-"
XxxX
And this is chapter 25, this one is sorted than I wanted it to be, but I wanted to post something for you my lovely readers. For anyone interested I do try to post pictures on my Wattpad account for what's happening in the story.
I do a lot of drawing, but it's not always put online, but when they are, I put them on there because it is easier to do so. Its under the same name is this account.
It occurred to me that I don't particularly like my village name Kazuki so I might change it all together or I might be open to suggestions from you my readers.
As always, I do appreciate reviews and constrictive criticism.
